Tech Toys for Kids, From Tots to Teens (and Grown-Ups, Too)

Tech Toys for Kids, From Tots to Teens (and Grown-Ups, Too)

Hasbro Furby

The secret to the original Furby wasn't its fun factor (which is questionable); it's that the critter was insanely hackable. Fourteen years later, the high-maintenance robotic tribble is back—screeching, singing, and crying with updates like LCD eyes, capacitive touch sensors, and an app. Gentlemen, start your soldering irons.

Hot Wheels Terrain Twister

An augerlike drive system replaces old-school "wheel" technology to let this RC screw its way over just about any surface—from sloppy puddles to slushy snow. And lest you think you'll be buying pallets of C batteries to fuel this thing, it's rechargeable!

Knock Knock Clump-o-Lump

What proto-biologist can resist plush toys that are able to mutate into new species? Each Clump has three interchangeable, zipped pieces, so kids can mix and match to create a tiger-squid-bee or shark-frog-bird.

Chris Ware's Building Stories

The hugely inventive Chris Ware, whose art has graced many a New Yorker cover, brings us a graphic novel Happy Meal. Inside the oversize cardboard carton you'll find 14 goodies including pamphlets, newspapers, hardcover booklets, posters, a story about a soda-besotted honeybee, and a children's book. It all paints a sprawling portrait of an old apartment building and its grimly funny residents.

Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo brought videogames back to the living room with the family-friendly Wii console. Its successor, the Wii U, ups the ante with a touchscreen-equipped GamePad controller that lets you join forces with friends—or sabotage them mercilessly—in multiplayer games.